Rebel Cry
by AdraLoran
Summary: The time before 'Why The Force Not' in Adra Tallon's life. Can't really say more. Review if you read it please! [Please note that the rating is liable to change.]
1. The Imperial Academy

Title: Rebel Cry  
Author: AdraLoran  
Disclaimer: Alright, I'm only saying this ONCE: Star Wars is copyright LucasFilms, Inc. and George Lucas. The only characters that I will claim to own are any ones you do not recognize from the books and Adra Tallon, my main girlie. ^_^ That is all!  
  


**Chapter One – The ****Imperial********Academy******

My mother has told me for the longest time that all bad things in life come with something good. I have yet to find something good about the only child and daughter of Imperial General Trude Tallon. I may only be nine years old, but that doesn't mean anything.

I suppose there are little things that can be good about being a respected Imperial officer's daughter, but none that are long lasting. The fact that if I want anything it's there, that if I have any troubles at all my father will try to fix it, none of that matters. Because he's just fixing the problem until some other one arises. My father fixes problems with money; I'd rather he fix them with love. I'd rather him give all the credits we don't need to those who do. My mother tells me I'm too much of a libertarian. I don't even know what that word means, but by the context my mother uses it in, I get the feeling she doesn't mean it as a compliment.

A sigh escapes me as my mind returned from it's little walk in the park. On the screen in front of me is the holovid "Win Or Die", starring Garik Loran. My mother loves his movies, though I can't see why. All they're about is supporting the Empire. Not that I'm allowed to say I don't think the Empire's right. My mother thinks it would be 'just wonderful' if I marred Garik Loran some day. I think she's crazy. I don't ever want to marry a person that's so...so...obsessed with the Empire. While I can admit that I think he's very cute, I cannot see 'The Face' Loran deserting the Empire. He just fits the part too well. It was unfortunate, but that was life.

Sith Lords, I hope he deserts. I'll be waiting here on the other side when he does.

As I wake the next morning, I realize was today is. No, it's not some horrible Imperial celebration. Nor is it my father's or mother's birthday. No, today is the glorious day I go back to the Imperial Academy. Well, I suppose that's not a glorious thing in all respects, considering that means I'm going to be going back to a school where the youngest people there are 16 year olds. They're double my age! I don't know how, but two years ago my father made a few deals with the men in charge of "running" the Academy.

Somehow he managed to get me into the Academy when I was seven. All of the other Cadets would gawk at me; occasionally some of them would come actually talk to me. In the Academy, secrets usually weren't kept long. My being the daughter of an Imperial General was one of them that suffered this fate. It was three days into my first spell at the Academy when one of the other Cadets I was scheduled to go into the sims with decided to start on me. I can remember him as clearly as if he were mocking me yesterday. He had been asking me to tell him why I got special privileges, why I got to come to the Academy when I wasn't even half anyone's age. I didn't answer him.

The Cadet, Cadet Tarit I learned later, had made comments as to how my father must be really big headed to think that maybe his daughter could fly a TIE fighter in any way like he could. He thought he was insulting me, I'm sure. Cadet Tarit couldn't have known how wrong he was. I couldn't have agreed more with what he said.

I beat Cadet Tarit in the sims that day. After that he didn't taunt me; hasn't taunted me since. After I beat him, I moved from your average TIE fighter through the 'levels' until I could fly a Interdictor or an Advanced TIE with my eyes closed.

So today was our first day back. The commanders in charge of instructing us told us we would be going in the sims today against a person of the instructor's choosing. When my name was called, I saluted and waited for orders. I wasn't the only one waiting. I could just feel the other people in the room brimming with anticipation as to who was going in, and a slight bit of nerves ebbing off from the same source. However, who I went against was an odd kind of 'fiction' for me. In the simulator 'craft' next to me sat my last year's instructor. Every other Cadet had gone against my instructor last year before the summer 'break' began.

I had wondered then why I had not also gone against him. This year, however, I found out why. I was the first into the sims after the break and that was obviously not something done solely by chance. My father had been called away to battle two weeks before it was time for me to get back to the Academy. As my former instructor and I walked towards the sims, I looked up once and in that time I saw my father's face. Quickly I lowered myself into the sim cockpit, looking up over the top once again to see if it had been merely a trick of the light of if my father was actually here.

He was.

Strangely, I couldn't care less. By everyone's standards, I was just a good pilot. A really good pilot. However, the instructors probably told my father this. Now the only thing I was torn between was whether or not to just vape my former instructor right off or to let him vape me so that my father wouldn't have another thing to brag about.

While I may hate my parents, I still have my pride. Letting my former instructor vape me was entirely, one-hundred percent out of the question. Better let them have something to brag about now because next week I may not be here for them to brag over.

The sims were activated once I'd settled in and immediately I saw that this wasn't the sim I'd been expecting. The simulators put us in absolutely blank space. There was nothing to hide behind, nothing do duck under, nothing to distract our attentions. My tactical screen at once showed my opponent: he was coming up behind me, quite fast at that.  
I urged my TIE forward, at the same time rolling it off to the port side. My craft rolls effortlessly, smoothly falling into place behind the other TIE. Quickly I break the roll, in the same instant firing my lasers, careful to not let my opponent behind me again.

As he feigned left, instead of turning after him, some unknown 'instinct' told me not to but rather to dive down again. This 'instinct' was right. His maneuver was perfectly executed, the only problem being that I was right there to meet him when he dove.

The TIE dove towards me and my blazing guns, it's pilot's only saving grace was that this was not an actual fight. Three standard seconds later the other TIE broke out in flames, one of it's wingtips flying out into 'space'.

Another second passed and then the sim screen went blank, showing nothing of the five minute fight that had been carried out there. I climbed out of the 'cockpit' and was greeted not only by my opponent, Commander Rett, but also by my father and his entourage.

The intense look of boastful pride on my father's face instantly made me wish I'd let Commander Rett vape me. What drove me to be the best was not so much to make my father look good. No, it was to make everyone look bad- the Empire and also my father- when I deserted.

I saluted crisply to my father- no, that's not right. I wasn't saluting to my father. I was saluting to Imperial General Tallon. The difference between the General and my father was plain enough to me, even if it wasn't to everyone else.

Vaguely I saw Commander Rett salute to the General and as he did, I realized something. Despite them trying to make me into an Imperial, I'm just not one. I'd known that for a while, but just now was when I finally put together that, while I had General Tallon's last name, I could never think of myself as his daughter. Add that to the fact that I was doing everything in my power to desert, and I'd be called a traitor...

Or a Rebel.

Yes, I liked the sound of that one. Rebel meant New Republic to all the Imperials and that meant perfect to me. All I would need is some Dark Lord to come around and read my thoughts and then announce my traitorous thoughts right now to not only a group of high-ranking instructors and over 500 other cadets, but also the residing general of Bastion and it's system.

Suddenly I felt as if I were standing alert to an enemy officer and I absolutely hated it. I had to find a way out of here.

The General and those with him had given us a salute in return, but I had hardly noticed. Only the sharp order that rang from General Tallon brought me back to some sense of here and now.  
"At ease," General Tallon's voice rang out. As if one, all of us in the room changed our position, our hands meeting each other behind our backs as we rebalanced on our now-foot apart feet.  
General Tallon's eyes swept the room, a silent inspection, then came back to rest upon Commander Rett and myself. Though his face was the familiar military blank, my eyes locked onto his and I could see the flickering fondness behind them. And in some way I caught his emotion of surprise as the Imperial recognized the hatred I knew glared at him from my eyes.

He didn't say anything for a minute and I could tell he was debating reprimanding me as his daughter or just continuing as if he didn't notice. Thankfully he chose the latter because, quite frankly, I would've yelled back at him. And I don't think the assembled audience would've been impressed.

"Well done, Cadet Tallon. I've only received good reports from the instructors," he said. That was a lie, I knew. He'd received plenty of reports about my 'practical jokes'. Of course, then he'd also receive my reports on how 'Cadet Tallon is efficient and possesses skill with the spacecrafts' which would always lighten his day. However, it was not my duty or right to report such things at present. My duty was to act please with the 'compliment'.

So I tried, "Thank you, General."

The General nodded to me, then released my gaze to walk down the cadet line and then meet up with Colonel Naam. The General and the Colonel went off, the Colonel obviously giving him further reports.

I stood where I was, glaring after his back until he was out of sight. Then the stares of all the people he had been with seemed to penetrate my head. They were looking at me as if debating pulling rank on me and telling me to wipe the expression off my face or rather to remain silent because of what I could tell General Tallon and then what he'd do to them.

Before they could decide, I whirled around on my heel, walked deliberately to the storage room, grabbed a blaster, and then shot about six bolts at the door that had rolled shut behind the General and the Colonel.

Everyone stood there, stunned. Then the other cadets started muttering loudly and I distinctly heard the words "dysfunctional" and "family" and "problems" in the same sentence. Well, hats off to them because for once in their vaping lives, they're right.


	2. Warped

**Chapter Two – Warped**

Unfortunately it wasn't 'hats off' for me. As the last of the blaster bolts hit the durasteel door, I whirled around, blaster still in hand, and walked towards the doors leading out of the Academy; the doors to my freedom. I'd hardly gone two paces when I heard the door I'd shot as release.

As it slid back, I looked over my shoulder to see the General and the Colonel standing there, General Tallon in front. The cadet line straightened under his gaze, but I could see him only watching me. For it was me, 'his' child, who held the hand blaster.

I turned again, continuing on out of the room. The grip I had on my blaster tightened ever-so-slightly as I headed the door. A hand rose to hit the pressure release, but orders were orders.

And orders had come.

"Cadet Tallon," began Colonel Naam. The General stopped him, instead speaking himself.

"Explain yourself, Cadet," the voice I'd known for as long as I can remember came across the now-silence between us.

I stayed in my place, glaring the daggers I'd like to be glaring at him into the wall instead. Then the order came for me to turn around and face the rest of the room. I did as much, all the while glowering at whatever my eyes touched.

The General nearly took a step back when he saw my face but instead repeated the earlier order to explain myself.

"No, I'm good. Though thank you for offering, Sir," the reply I gave was most definitely insubordinate; something I'm sure I could get a court martial over.  
Something flickered behind the General's military gaze. He opened his mouth to reply, but then the jaw stayed dropped, his eyes widening, as I raised the blaster I was still holding and put it to my head.

At once my world seemed to jump into frame-by-frame slow motion. The group of cadets all moved out of their line, the commanding officers of the Academy all lunging forward. Colonel Naam's eyes seemed to bulge out of his head and he stretched out a hand, as if he could call the blaster from my hand. General Tallon was the only person who seemed to be doing much to stop me. I saw the word 'no' on his lips, heard it's echoes, as my finger began to tighten around the trigger.

You know how people say that right before you die your whole life flashes in front of you? Well, mine did. But somehow it seemed to go beyond my nine years in life. A woman- 19 maybe?- was holding a man in an orange flightsuit to a wall and something about the woman's face made me wonder who the Sith she was. The image faded abruptly as a very large something plowed into me.

My finger closed on the trigger just as I felt it my arm being wrenched out of position next to my temple. The blaster bolt careened into the ceiling. It took me a minute to realize that I was still alive, and somehow I was a bit glad. I'd take death over living as an Imperial any day...but I didn't really want to die. But it's better to die a martyr to your cause then to live for the traitorous one. General Tallon's head swam in and out of my focus and my eyes fixed on some point above him in the ceiling. Vaguely I heard what sounding like a very distorted version of Colonel Naam's voice telling someone to get a medic. Then the world began to swim again and I found it easier to surrender into unconsciousness.

***

Although I could tell you little details about what happened in the days that followed, the details I might be able to make get you to comprehend would be so blurred and misshapen, they wouldn't make sense anyway. All I know is that I was unconscious for a week after I hit my head on the durasteel floor at the Academy. After I woke and learned how long I'd been knocked out, I also learned that General Tallon had ordered that I not be allowed to touch a blaster. He'd even gone so far as to strip my room of what he thought were all the guns in it. Namely three visible blasters. Of course, he didn't realize that I had far more stashed away in secret little hidey-holes in case he made such an order.

Three days after I woke up, my mother decided I looked well enough to get out of my bed and come to breakfast. This I did obligingly, not so much because I wanted to eat with them, but because I was getting very bored with staring at my closet door.

I picked up a piece of soft fruit and rubbed it on my shirt, just to be sure it was cleaned off. And it was then, at this breakfast, that I heard the greatest of news. My mother came rushing into the room, a slightly sad, slightly angry expression on her face. She waved a datapad around wildly, the R4 unit- Bolt- beeping out of sight behind her.  
General Tallon looked up quickly to his wife, and I could tell he was a bit worried about her wild antics. It was probably something stupid, like they decided not to let Garik Loran star in some new holovid or another. Well, I was half right. It was about The Face.

"Trude, you will not believe this!" my mother's expression got a bit angrier as she spoke. "Garik Loran has up and deserted! Rebel extremists attempted to kill him, then a whole squadron of stormtroopers came in to save him- which they did, I might add- and then he up and walked off to the Rebel Alliance! Can you believe the nerve of that..."

But I didn't even listen to the rest of her words. I took a bite of the fruit I'd been holding as calm as you please, but inside I was shouting with glee. He deserted, he deserted! Face Loran deserted! Praise whatever power's out there, Garik Loran's a rebel!

My mother didn't appear to be very pleased with my uncaring expression. She quickly turned her own into a heavy glower as I continued eating. The General looked over at me, his eyes calculating. My mother opened her mouth to start yelling again, only this time at me, but General Tallon interrupted her not-yet-started bawling out.

"Lina, dear, leave Adra alone. She's just recovered enough to come to a family gathering of some sort, even if it is only breakfast, and you do not need to be yelling at her."

Family gathering? Ahem, excuse me, did he just say 'family gathering'? Family gathering my afterburners! More like necessary torture! However, I was pleased to get out of the verbal thrashing I was sure my mother was going to instill if the General hadn't stepping in.

Still, she persisted in one thing, "Fine, I won't say anything. However Adra, I want all those holovids that he's in. I'm going to get rid of them."

Like Corellia's nine hells she was! Absolutely, positively, no way. I'd go to each of the Corellian hells five times and back before giving her those. So I improvised.

"Mother, I don't even _like_ Garik Loran or any of his holovids. I don't have any of them in my room and I don't see why you'd think I had," the lie came out flawlessly and effortlessly. Besides, I knew she'd buy it.

***

That evening I slipped out of the house after assuring both Bolt and General Tallon that I was just going to go for a walk. Bolt was a bit more persistent about my not going, but in the end the little droid gave in. In each of my boots was a single blaster then around my waist was a utility belt that held a blaster of its own. Getting said blasters out of the house had been, for the most part, quite simple. The General hadn't inquired as to when I'd be back, but I knew he expected me in before oh-twenty four-hundred. That was fine by me.

My feet carried me towards the local 'hot spot', a bar called Warped. Originally it was some sort of club, but as it had changed owners so many times in the last two years, it had lost it's reputation as such and had instead become known as a place where underage citizens, like myself, could come to get drunk. Fighting was another thing that was commonplace there, and the owner didn't give a Sith if you fought, just so long as officers didn't show up. So when there were fights, nobody even bothered to report them. They just picked up their drink and moved out of the way of the fighters and their dispute.

I opened the door to Warped, the smell that always seemed to linger about- sweaty shirts and too much liquor- hit me square in the face, though I'd expected it. After a minute I got used to it and walked over to the group of Academy cadets I saw huddled at the bar. A girl I knew, Andora, waved over at me and I waved back, walking over. 

"Hey there, Tallon," Andora said to me, her voice rather slurred, easily signifying she was drunk- or at least getting there very rapidly.

Everyone around the circular table looked up at me as Andora spoke, obviously not noticing me before she had. They each nodded once, then all of them raised their glasses to me as if in a toast.

"You did an awesome job at the Academy the other day," Reggie added in after he took another swig of whatever was in his glass.

I nodded, a grin coming to my face. "Thanks Reg. I always enjoy disobeying a commanding officer."

The table's occupants all laughed at my comment for it was a well-known fact at the Academy that Adra Tallon, despite being General Tallon's daughter and only child, was sent to Colonel Naam's office more times than most other people in the Academy. And it was all for one simple reason: I didn't follow orders if I didn't want to. That's just the way I am.

A few other unintelligible remarks were passed around the table then I departed. My strides were hindered once more though as a small, green, three-fingered hand came out in front of me. I looked over at it's owner, waiting for the punch that such a hindrance usually brought with it. However, no punching attempt was made. The creature the hand belonged to was an alien species I'd never seen before. She- I could only assume it was a she- was roughly three feet tall and had large, gungan-like ears, only hers stood up.

I was about to cast a remark something to the effect of 'What the sith do you want?' when I recognized the weapon on her utility belt. It was a lightsaber. Only three kinds of people had lightsabers in the galaxy that were trained enough to make me afraid: the Sith Lords and apprentices, the Jedi and the Imperial Royal Guards. She was obviously neither the former or the latter meaning she must be a Jedi. A Jedi on an Imperial world? Plainly showing her face? She must've been insane. However, as she beckoned me to follow her out a side door, I found my mind offering no reason why I shouldn't.


	3. Coordinates

**Chapter Three – Coordinates**

I was right in thinking that the green alien was a Jedi. As soon as we were a good distance from Warped's door, she turned to me, her expression oddly peaceful. With a mental shrug, I resolve myself to stand there and hear out what this alien has to say.

"Adra Tallon, you are, yes?" the alien asked. I nodded my head which seemed to make her pleased. "Good, good," she seemed to mutter almost to herself, "Know, did you, that able to use the Force you are? Come to take you to the Temple, I have, if choose this you do."

Jeese'm, did she know how odd she sounded? Well, her species must have a language that isn't that compatible with Basic. Oh well. Her words, once translated, were enough to put out what I'd been thinking about her speech habits. I blinked once, twice.

"And, without trying to seem rude, who are you?" That was not what I had wanted to say. Quickly I resisted the urge to want to hit myself on the forehead over and over.

"Ah, foolish I have been. Master Jedi Yaddle, I am," the small green creature answered me instantly.

I nodded once, thinking over her seconds-earlier proposal. Leave this planet I'd lived on all my life? Become a Jedi, an ally of the New Republic? Did I want to do that? Did I want to leave this planet, to become a Jedi? That wasn't even a question with two possible answers. Of course I did.  
"You seriously mean to tell me I can get off this planet?" I knew I sounded disbelieving, but that's just how things worked. The green alien nodded her head to me. "Then yes...but could I ask you why you think I'd make it as a Jedi?"

The alien- Yaddle, I amended, smiled that awkward smile of hers. Yes, Yaddle was definitely female. When she spoke her voice came out in female high tones rather than lower ones.

"Ever felt someone's feelings have you?" I opened my mouth to say 'no', but then I realized that I had 'felt' General Tallon's feelings yesterday. That wasn't the first time something similar in effect had had happened. At last I nodded, admitting it to both myself and her. The present smile on her face got a bit brighter.

"But...how do I go with you? My family's all Imperial. They won't let me just go to Coruscant to train to be a Jedi," I finally managed. IT was true, because I knew point-blank that General Tallon would have a problem.

"The things you need, you already have with you," she spoke with ease, but I had to wonder if she were just the opposite and quite uneasy. It seemed as if she was going against her normal course of action.

However, that plan sounded perfect to me. I wouldn't have to worry about anything else. Except the holovids. If my mother ever found that I'd actually hidden then in my room... I looked at Yaddle and had the strangest impression that she knew exactly what I was thinking. A smile went across her face.

"Too small, my X-Wing is, for two of us. Have an Interceptor of your own, I believe you have?" Her words might've been phrased as a question, but I'm sure she already knew the answer. My nod only confirmed it.

***

Our plan was quickly formed, in which I went home. The Jedi seemed to know exactly what I had wanted to bring from my house, so she told me to get the holovids and then to grab extra clothes. Then my orders were to get my butt to the private hanger bay on the outskirts of the city and find my TIE Interceptor as quickly as I could. Yaddle had said she would meet me there.

I was in the house and past Bolt faster than I think the droid registered. The stairs were nothing under my feet as I bolted up them, moving a considerable bit faster than the droid. In no time I had a bag packed...unfortunately my mother chose to come in to see what I was doing. Her gaze found the bag at once, then she opened her mouth to question just what the Sith I was doing. Before she could ask, though, I offered my explanation- albeit a lie.

"I got an assignment from Colonel Naam when I took my walk to the Academy. I've got to leave pretty quick; just getting clothes."

She seemed to accept it because she merely nodded and walked off. I assume the reason would be to tell the General. I swung my bag over my shoulder, quickly moving down the stairs once more.

I was outside and on a landspeeder quicker than you could say 'sithspawn'. The landspeeder and I tore out over the landscape and though I knew I should slow down, I didn't find the incentive to until I reached the private hanger bay. Quickly I got off the thing and walked across the platform to where my Interceptor stood. The black and red lines it had painted down it's sides, the huge solar panels, all of them implied that the buyer had had a lot of money to put into this thing. Once someone looked into the cockpit, any doubts they might've had were murdered.

Quickly I found a spot for my bag inside my TIE, then I looked around to see Yaddle walking over from the earlier-unseen X-Wing. It was a bit beaten up, but what could you expect from a New Republic vessel that was still fighting in a war? I personally thought it looked beautiful, but I bet some of the others at the Academy would think it a great joke. Everyone had laughed over the technology in one of the crashed X-Wings we'd found. It might've been a bit old, but I had to stop myself from pointing out that the 'Rebels' were kicking the crap out of the Empire at just about every meeting they had- not counting the meetings of the New Republic to the Imperial 181st squadron. General Soontir Fel was in charge of that one, and quite frankly? It was impossible to see how they'd once been called the One-Eighty-Worst.

I watched the alien as she came closer and climbed down from the cockpit. Quickly I saluted her, so as to assure any onlookers that this meeting might've been entirely normal. She handed me a datapad in return and nodded as I took it.

"Coordinates for the trip you must have."

That was all she said before she set off back to her craft. I didn't even reply, knowing she didn't need one nor had any desire to hear one. So instead I climbed back into my TIE and got settled in the cockpit. After I put my helmet on I took a look at the coordinates. Somehow they clicked in my head that we were headed to Coruscant and had a very 'nice' sounding seven hour stretch in hyperspace.


	4. Prankster Child

**Chapter Four – Prankster Child**

I stood, gaping around the Temple, shocked by the shear size of the place.  Yaddle's X-Wing had landed easily next to my TIE fighter in the Temple's large docking bay and before I knew it, the little green creature was standing next to me.

"Impressive, yes?"  Her voice carried a hint of a laugh as she spoke.  All I could do was nod, however, my eyes still taking in the size of the place.  The five towers stretching way above the main building, reaching towards space, it seemed.  A pressure release hissed somewhere in the echoing docking bay, signifying a door opening.  Master Yaddle prodded me along towards the sound, muttering softly under her breath.

Another green creature, perhaps a bit taller than Yaddle, stood at the front of the group that had come to greet the new arrivals.  To the other green creature's right stood a very tall dark skinned man.  His face was calm and serious, his gaze never seeming to drift off.  Behind him was a black-haired girl, her expression one of sarcasm as she mouthed silently, staring at the back of the tall Jedi Master's head.  Reading the girl's lips, I felt my eyes widen and I was suddenly struggling to keep from laughing.

The older girl caught sight of my barely contained laughter and quickly pressed a finger to her lips. Quickly I gave the smallest of nods then turned my attention back to the green masters.

"Welcome to the Jedi Temple you are, Adra Tallon."  The other green master, his voice more masculine than Yaddle's, spoke in exactly the same way as she did.  It must be something to do with their species and how they looked at Basic.  "Assuming, I am, that taking you as her padawan, Master Yaddle is."

I blinked at the small Jedi Master, not quite registering what he was saying.  Master Yaddle?  My Jedi Master?  That would definitely be interesting...

"Yes, Master Yoda," Yaddle's voice responded easily for me.  I merely nodded agreement.  The human Jedi Master glanced to this 'Master Yoda' once before speaking.

"Welcome to the Temple, Adra.  My apprentice, Mirax Halcyon, will be showing you around after you are shown to your quarters.  Don't hesitate to divert her attention from causing pranks.  I've got enough complaints over her to last me another decade."

I nodded once more, not sure I understood the reason all the Jedi Masters were laughing slightly, but I none the less bowed my head and offered a 'thank you'.  Then the masters were departing down the hall and Mirax was muttering aloud to the unnamed Jedi's back.

"Enough complaints over her to last me another decade," she mimicked, face screwed up in annoyance.  After a moment, the older girl sighed, releasing a load of pent up energy and then looked over at me, a smile now on her face.  "Thanks for not saying anything.  As my marvelous Master, Mace Windu, was so kind to tell you with the annoying side remarks, I'm Mirax Halcyon."

Shaking the proffered hand once, I nodded.  "Adra Tallon," I said simply.

"Yeah, I know.  Master Yaddle and Master Windu have been talking about you for a while.  You're an Imp kid, aren't you?"

Grimacing slightly, I nodded my head.  "Not by choice, mind you.  Last week I fired a blaster at my 'father's' back in front of the Imperial Academy.  I would've found a way to desert if Master Yaddle hadn't come."

Mirax nodded, smilingly, and nodding down the high-ceilinged corridor, but continued the conversation all the while.  "General Tallon had a kid?  Who woulda known.  No matter, good job trying to shoot him though.  Now, this is supposed to be your room, I guess.  Master Yaddle's in the next door over."

Realizing they'd stopped in front of a door, I glanced around for a landmark near it.  The large windows were enough.  I nodded but made no move to open the door to inspect the interior.

"I'll check it out latter.  I really wanna meet some of the other apprentices around here."  Then I paused, wondering if I should ask this next question.  "Urm, Mirax?  How old are you?"

The older girl looked thoughtful for a few seconds, then grinned, looking back at me.  "I'm seventeen, going on eighteen soon.  And you want to meet other padawans?  Alright.  I'll introduce you to Bror Afyon.  He's Sera Faleur's padawan- one of your master's friends.  Anyway, if you like playing jokes at all, Bror always falls for them.  What's more, he won't tell your master about them."

The grin now covering my face must've looked goofy, but I couldn't help it.  The sound of this 'Bror' was definitely something I liked.  Able to take joking?  Definitely wanted to meet him.

*****

After a week of living in the Temple, learning to use the Force ability that until recently I hadn't even known I'd possessed, I was already marked down as one of the 'practical jokers' of the Temple apprentices.  In truth, I think the list consisted of just Mirax Halcyon and me.

At this rate, many Jedi Masters were telling there apprentices this simple rule of thumb:  stay away from Adra Tallon and Mirax Halcyon when they're apart.  Run in the opposite direction when they're together.

We, that is to say, Bror, Mirax and I were walking back down the hall, myself using the telekinesis ability I'd just mastered to poke Bror in the back with a datacard, taking full chance to exercise our freedom of an afternoon.  Bror was little more than a year older than I was, but already his attitude was something of a younger Mace Windu.

As Bror muttered something about Imperial kids being crazy, Sera Faleur, Bror's master, gave her apprentice an impression of the Mace Windu glare- something I'd seen a lot in the last few days- before going off to find a quite place to meditate.  Before she left, everyone was awarded a reason to laugh at the sight of Master Windu giving the perfected version.

The three of us, walking behind the masters, dropped back even farther.  Mirax lowered her head and spoke, her voice whispering as if her words were confidential information.  "Yeah, he's definitely got that look perfected."

Mace Windu glanced back as she finished speaking and Mirax began whistling innocently at once.  Her hands were hooked behind her back, as she looked around at the ceiling.  My movements covered by the bulky Jedi robe I was wearing, I handed Mirax on of my last detonators from Bastion.  Making a mental note to get more, I watched as Master Windu looked back at Yaddle, continuing their conversation.

Mirax stopped talking, Bror and I stopping with her.  The two masters continued down the hall.  Bror paused for a moment, watching Mirax roll the detonator over in her hands- it wasn't a powerful detonator, just something for fun- but then he walked off after his master's direction.  Once he was out of earshot, Mirax turned to me.

"I'm not that stupid, Tallon."

I shrugged, cracking a grin, and then grabbed the detonator in my firm Force grip.  My master had already gone off in another direction, but that left Master Windu walking towards the Council chambers.  As the master walked under another archway, I sent the detonator- now counting down from 30 standard seconds- to hover a meter or so over his head.

Behind me, I could see Mirax backing up slowly.  No doubt she was worried about pissing her master off.  As my countdown his seven, I ducked into the Archive room, letting the detonator fall from my grip.

Quickly gathering my props, I listened to the conversation outside the door.

"I swear I didn't do it!"  That would be Mirax.  There was a sharp 'click' and the swishing of robes as a hand reached up to grab something from the air.  Silence followed and immediately I realize what Master Windu was doing.  The code still on engraved in it was an Imperial one.  Oh well, my plan would work.  There was something like an intake of air and then a shout.

"_Adra Tallon!"  Ready and...action!_

Making sure I wasn't dropping anything, I quickly cast a foggy state into my mind and mixed in some of the things I had learned on navigation from the Academy, projecting a busy mind.  Then I walked out of the archives, flimsi falling from my arms as I walked over, a datacard I had been holding tumbling to the floor.

"Yes Master Windu?"

Mirax's voice drifted across my head just as I closed my mouth.  _I was never that stupid to pull a prank on him.  Never._

_Yeah, but the benefits of the way I was raised is that I know how to give the blame to someone else.  His second suspect would be either you or that Ritril kid, 'cause you both have connections to him and an uncanny disregard for rules.  My reply was quick, concise and utterly to the point._

Mirax's face now held an 'I do not' look.  Mace Windu wasn't even notice it.  My eyes flicked over Mace Windu's face, my expression flawlessly confused until my eyes landed on the detonator in his hand.  I 'recognized' it as one of my own and my face abruptly changed into a terrific- if I may say so myself- display of being outraged that someone 'raided' my explosive collection.  Mace's expression of suspicion changed to his usual blank mask.

_How the Sith do you do that so well?  Mirax and I watched calmly as the master strode away._


	5. The Prank Side of the Force

**Chapter Five – The Prank Side of the Force**

It was almost funny seeing Mirax's expression as I explained everything to her.  It was as if the idea had never occurred to her before that Imperials knew how to play jokes.  Privately, I had to agree, however, I didn't say so.  In truth, it seemed like the only thing Imperials ever did, or at least seemed to do, was march around in stiff lines shouting off orders at each other.  Or attack 'Rebels'.

_I still don't get it_, Mirax said to me, using the Force.  _How the kriff do you do it?_

Sighting heavily in the connection I had with her, I slipped Mirax a datapad.  The screen displayed, I knew, the words 'I'll show you the trick later.  Have fun with whatever he assigns you.'  He was Mace Windu.  And Mace Windu was still standing a few feet away from us.

After a moment, the Jedi Master looked at me, his expression unreadable, as he studied my face.  Silently, he nodded me off towards the Archives, since he had 'disturbed' me from my work, after all.  As I turned to move back into the Archives' hall, I saw Mirax's jaw drop.  _Tallon, you're letting me take the blame?_

Continuing my trek, albeit slightly slower now, I replied, _Why not?  It's a Hutt eat Hutt galaxy out there._

Behind me, I felt Mace Windu's powerful presence suddenly move away.  Amazed, I looked over my shoulder to see him heading off in the general direction of Yoda's 'Youngling Rooms'.  More specifically, the place where all the padawans without masters were.  Somehow, I got the feeling that a nine year old by the name of Cloud Ritril would be hearing the yelling side of Mace Windu's voice.

Mirax had started to say that what I had done was not funny, letting her get all the blame.  The moment Mace exited, she grinned sheepishly and added, _Oh.  Wait, never mind._

_Good.  The old bat's gone off.  Come on, I'll show you the trick, _I told her, watching Mace Windu as he stuck his head into a classroom, obviously with Master Yoda teaching.  Very clearly he could be heard asking to 'borrow' Cloud Ritril.  As the pair walked away, the boy following doggedly after the Master, Mirax grinned at me.

"Not bad, Tallon, not bad at all."

Grinning at her, I gave a dramatic bow and said, "Thank you, thank you very much."  Quickly stifling my hyper energy, I grinned.  "Now, what you're lacking is the ability to clear your mind," I told her.

Mirax's reply was to roll her eyes, then tell me in no uncertain terms- as if I didn't already know, "I'm a Corellian.  Corellians aren't known for being subtle."

I grinned at her, shaking my head as I lead her in the other direction from Windu down the hall.  "That old bat just half-notices your face, but then goes on to inspect your thoughts.  If you're busy thinking 'please don't figure it out', then he'll know.  You just gotta make your mind totally blank.  Or use my current idea: make it busy with other stuff from the Archive and look like you were interrupted."  Pausing, I thought over her last comment.  Corellians? Corellians!  What the kriff did she think I was, a Nubian?!  Raising an eyebrow, I replied, "And you're saying Imperials are better?  Halcyon, my family relocated to Bastion two generations back.  I'm a purebred Corellian and I'm just as bad."

We reached the large meditation room.  Surprisingly, it was pleasantly empty.  The far wall was convex all the way until it reached the ends of the room and made of crystal clear transparisteel.  I walked forward, going over to it to see the dawn mounting over Coruscant's unsleeping skyscrapers and their lights.  Behind me, Mirax shifted on her feet.

"Bastion is Imperial.  Imperial means blank, emotionless people."

Still staring out the transparisteel wall, I sighed.  "Ask anyone at Bastion who the person who got sent to the director of the Academy the most was and you'll get the same answer from any- and everyone.  I'm horrible at being emotionless."

Mirax walked up next to me and though I didn't look at her, I could sense the smile she was wearing.  "Well then," she said at last.  "I suppose if you can do it, I can."  That pretty much sealed our fate.

* * * * *

Three weeks later and two of me were standing in the main hall of the Temple.  In front of me stood Mace Windu, his back to me, as he yelled at the illusion I'd created.  The illusion was sighing heavily at the moment, shaking her nonexistent head.  In spite of myself, I couldn't help grinning.  It took all of my control not to burst out laughing at the sight of the esteemed Jedi Master Mace Windu yelling at an illusion created by a padawan- namely, me.

He continued yelling at the illusion for a full fifteen minutes, ranting on about the Order and the Jedi Code and how 'I' should be ashamed of 'myself' for pulling pranks on the Masters and Knights of the Temple.  By the end of it, I was thoroughly bored.  My illusion-self continued to look penitent to his words.  After a final remark, Master Windu walked around 'me' and went into the Council chamber.

Mirax jumped out the shadows behind me, laughing silently.  When she finally could breathe again, she grinned, saying through gasps of laugher, "That was kriffing wizard!  You have no idea!"

Mock bowing to her, I looked over my shoulder and quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her into a doorframe with an overhang.  Bror Afyon was walking down the hall.  Looking up at her, I nodded my head sideways at him.  _You wanna try that illusion?_

Mirax contemplated for a minute, watching the other padawan, then she grinned and nodded.  _Of course.__  What do you think the Halcyon name is?_

Keeping my laughter to a bare minimum, I watched as an illusion form of Mirax walked up behind Bror and waved a hand in front of his face.  Bror turned, when he saw who it 'was' and gave a soft sigh.

"So," I could hear him say, "where's you mini-me?"

Deciding to give him as good a startle as I could before he figured out what was going on, I concentrated on the Force, and with it created an illusion of myself.  And it appeared out of thin air in front of Bror.

The other padawan jumped away from where 'we' were standing, looking between the two illusions as if he had gone mad.  Mirax tapped my shoulder and pointed, saying, _Come on, let's go._

So we went.

The two of us walked out into the hall again, coming to stand by our illusioned selves.  Bror gaped at the 'four' of us, blinking hurriedly.

Finally, he spoke.  "What the kriff?!"


	6. Silly Little Hacker Child

Chapter Six – Silly Little Hacker Child Unfortunately for me, not all the time spent in the Temple was fun and pranks. There was, of course, 'meetings' with the Council, at which Mirax and I would get bawled out- rather impressively- for what we did 'wrong'. Honestly, it was just harmless pranks. If we got to that defense, though, over half of the Council would jump down our throats, telling us that those 'harmless pranks' had caused some very sharp repercussions in the life Force around the Temple. It's not like we were aiming to be bad or anything, but we were just good at it. After once such happy occasion, upon which time the Force saw fit to drop in with prank ideas right after we'd left the Council Chamber, Mirax and I were walking towards the meditation room, as usual, to- obviously- meditate on what we'd done. Mirax was grinning, as usual, from the trouble we'd stirred up. Of course, because I was watching her grin, I just happened to walk headlong into another person. But she wasn't a Jedi. I took a step back, offering a hurried apology, just as Mirax started sniggering. The woman looked over at me, or, rather, over and down at me. I may have just turned ten, but I was hardly five feet tall. Before I could say anything past my quick apology, Mirax had interrupted what the other or I would say. "Hi, Iella," my friend said, mirth and fun evident in her voice. I just turned to stare at her, blinking. Mirax grinned at me. "Adra, this is Iella Antilles, my glorious commanding officer's wife." She looked back at Iella, then said, "What's the call for today then?" The woman- Iella- smiled at Mirax and nodded to her explanation of relations. "Please to meet you Adra," she said to me. "And Mirax, you should know I'm not giving out Intelligence for you to pick apart into a prank." Mirax looked absolutely shocked, as if the thought had never crossed her mind. I was quite sure it had, but I kept that to myself. Iella was grinning at Mirax now and then she nodded to someone behind us. Turned my head ever so slightly, I saw that it was Master Windu and Master Thracia. Grumbling about never having found out what Iella did, nor who the woman with her was, I walked past them, nodding, then found my way to my room. There was some datacards piled on the bed, one or two having fallen to the floor. So I wasn't exactly meticulously neat...no matter. I didn't exactly have to be neat and clean to be a Jedi, after all. Well, so long as that meant my room. Jedi were expected, as a body, to appear clean and polished. My muttering continued far into the time I worked away on program hacking. Technically, I was supposed to be practicing lightsaber technique, but Master Yaddle was rather lenient about my computer habits. It was an odd thing, because I'd never really been interested in computers before. I mean, I supposed I sliced into some files once or twice before, but I never really thought about it as fun, as I did now. With a jolt, I realized that all natural light was gone from this side of Coruscant, the neon forms of it now illuminating my single window. I glanced back at the computer, wondering what the kriff I was doing hacking into Bastion City's main computer. Well... With a slight grin at myself, I allowed way for an excuse about hacking into that one. But still, I should've probably have been doing something else. Before I turned the computer display off, I saved everything to a datacard and sent the information to Intelligence. Then, before the desire to find dinner became too strong a lure, I went off to find Master Yaddle. * * * * * A week went by, a week without my being any the wiser to what kind of 'trouble' I'd stirred up at Intelligence headquarters. What I hadn't realized then was that my datapad's code was foreign to the officers in the building. I'd just figured I'd send them the stuff, be a help and whatever. Wrong. As it went, the Intelligence slicer teams hadn't been pulling up a good hand of cards when it came to the sabacc game of drawing the right numbers to the passcodes of Bastion. The fact that they received a rather large chunk of Imperial information from an 'anonymous' person was a bit nerve- wracking. And personally, I can understand that. I mean, would you feel very safe if some person sent you stuff you'd been trying to get your hands on for months? No, probably not. That was the problem though, because that's basically what I did. So, naturally, Intelligence sent out its search for the slicer who'd made the cut into Bastion City's files and sent them, not only to make sure this person wasn't sending Imperials information as well as to see if they could rope them into anything past freelance slicer. Or at least that's how I perceived it. It happened to be the middle of the day when Intel made it to the Temple, though I still didn't know they were searching out who gave the information. I was, as usual of this time of day, contemplating debates on Force use. Master Yaddle was telling me about the way some Jedi of the Old Order had issues with some ways Jedi used the Force. Outside the room, there was some sort of commotion. It sounded like a group of people had come, demanding information. Master Yaddle, seeing I obviously was paying more attention to the noise than to her, nodded and led the way out to the main hallway. The people in immediate view were wearing light-gray clothes, their names on a patch just off their left shoulder. Immediately, I recognized one. It was Iella, the woman I'd spoken to the week before. And the white-haired woman was with her once again. Iella was talking to Master Thracia, the Jedi Master nodding slowly, a frown on her face. A few minutes of silence reigned, in which time a few Jedi Masters got their padawan's attentions and moved them away. Master Yaddle had almost succeeded with me, but then, "Adra." I stopped, turning to see who had spoken. It was Iella. She was looking at me, a no-nonsense expression written on her features. At this point, I was thinking 'Oh kriff, oh kriff' over and over again. I was, undoubtedly in a lot of trouble. But instead of saying any of this, little padawan me walked over to where I was requested. Iella and Master Thracia were saying something again, but stopped as I came over. "Did you hack into the Imperial systems?" Iella asked, no preamble whatsoever. Blinking slightly, I nodded, not sure I wanted to risk denying the truth. To my surprise, the older woman grinned. Master Thracia raised the corners of her mouth in a shadowed smile at her, then turned to her own padawan and gestured her away. I was left with the Intelligence group and Master Yaddle. However, Iella was speaking again. "Have you ever done that before, Adra?" she asked me, quite calmly. I nodded my head slowly and Iella's face broke into a smile. I saw her glance to Master Yaddle, then she looked back at me. "What would you say to coming to Intelligence for a bit and hacking into some other programs? You know, so we can see what you can actually get into." It was my turn to look at my master. She was grinning in her weird way. When she saw me look at her, Master Yaddle nodded. Taking that for my answer to give to Iella, I looked to the Intelligence officer and nodded as well. "I'd love to, actually." 


	7. Green Flightsuits

Chapter Seven – Green Flightsuits 

Intelligence headquarters was anything but spectacular-looking on the outside. On the inside though, the place was amazing. I was led past offices and closed doors, and innumerous people passed us, walking in the other direction. Iella led me to a turbolift and hit one of the buttons. A few moments later, we were on another floor.

For lack of ability to see outside the building, I couldn't tell which floor we were on. Before I could ask, I was led into a room and heard the door swish shut behind me. A girl who looked as though she were three or four years older than me was sitting at one of the computer banks.   Upon the door's release, she seemed looked up from her work and to Iella and me. I was led the few paces across the room to where the girl was swiveling her chair around to face us.

"How's it going?" Iella asked her. Apparently she was talking about whatever the other girl was doing on the computers.

She shrugged, looking over her shoulder at the screen for a moment. "I've got a few more to crack, but other than that I'm getting pretty bored with it."

"Well, you can quit for a while if you like." Iella nodded in apparent appreciation, then put a hand on my shoulder. "This is Adra Tallon. Adra, Tyria Tainer." Tyria offered her hand to me, which I took and shook. Iella, meanwhile, continued. "The information that turned up on Bastion City a week ago was from Adra." From Tyria's expression, I couldn't tell anything about what she was thinking. She looked me up and down once, then nodded, seeming to accept what Iella said.

"So you're a slicer as well then?" she asked me.

"Er, no, not really. I just got bored." It sounded lame, but it was the truth.

Iella's grip on my shoulder tightened a bit, but then she released it. "Tyria's the NRI's official head slicer, Adra," the director stated. "With the Temple's permission, we'd like you to come and work with her. What do you think?" She was looking at me with a blank expression, but I knew that a refusal to her offer would mean more to her than she let on.

Thinking about it for a moment, I managed a glance over Tyria's shoulder. The screen she was working on was entirely made up of numbers. Did I really want to turn myself into an Intelligence officer before I'd even become a Jedi? Some parts of me said yes, while the others detested the idea. I wanted to be a Jedi, and I wanted to be a pilot. If I joined Intel, could I ever do the other two without worrying over it interfering with one or both? With a sigh, I shook my head.

"I'm sorry, but I can't." I paused, cringing slightly as I saw the look in Iella's face. "I want to be a Jedi, and I want to be a pilot. I've been around Bastion's Imperial Intel enough to know that those who join thinking they'll be able to eventually pursue other dreams and ideas become so controlled by Intel that they can't. I honestly do want to be a slicer for the New Republic, but I want to be a pilot and a Jedi more." As I had been speaking, I watched Iella's face suddenly clear, and then brighten in a smile.

She and Tyria exchanged glances, and then Iella spoke once more. "Adra, if you wanted to become a pilot, all you'd have to do was tell me. Being married to Wedge Antilles, though difficult at times, has its advantages."  I gaped at her, suddenly remembering that 'tiny' fact. This was Iella Wessiri Antilles, after all. Her husband was the head of New Republic Starfighter Command. And, after all, this wasn't the Empire in any way shape or form. This was the New Republic. While I was realizing this, Iella had continued on. "I'll make a deal with you, okay? Join Intel as a slicer for a while, then when you're old enough I'll have Wedge put you into a squadron's roster. The Wraiths will probably be ready for new officers by that time, considering they've got Tainer and Loran following them around and driving them farther into insanity than before." Tyria laughed at that comment. "Anyway, even if you became a pilot, you could still slice for the NR. And besides, it'll give you experience in the military, to some degree. You'll probably end up being sent on some kinds of missions later on down the road as it is should you have chosen to become strictly a Jedi."

Taking this all in, I nodded slowly. The idea had never occurred to me that joining Intel meant that you could do undercover operations, and the likes. Besides, if I did join, I could probably meet a whole bunch of pilots... I nodded again, more sure of myself this time and opened my mouth to speak. 

Before I got one word out, the door behind our trio opened again, admitting someone new. I turned to see who it was and nearly jumped in shock. Two people had entered the room, both of them dark-haired, one of them with blue eyes, the other had green. The blue-eyed boy was in a jumpsuit, a flight officer's insignia over his name. The other boy was wearing an overly-bright neon green version of a flightsuit, which had a feather boa- red, of all heinous colors- sewn on as an overly-extravagant collar. He had dozens of obviously-plastic medals attached to the flightsuit under his flight officer's insignia. He had so many medals, in fact, that I couldn't make out the name directly under the insignia. On the elbows of his oddly- colored attire, there were black and white checkered squares to cover what might've been spots with holes. And for shoes, he wore a stormtrooper's pair of white plasteel boots. Something close to horrified disgust rooted itself in my mind.

As I had been studying the boy, I hardly noticed Tyria get up from her chair to hug the more normally-dressed one. Suddenly I noticed the may mouth was hanging open as I stared at the one dressed in green. Despite my instant feeling of dislike, he looked oddly familiar to. Perhaps he was one of the people I had noticed in Coruscant's crowded streets at one time or another, though she highly doubted I'd forget someone in neon colored clothes.

Upon closing my mouth, I looked away from him, and instead to Iella. Intelligence's director was smiling at the two older boys and Tyria, though she appeared to be laughing internally at the odd one's flightsuit. Not that I could blame her.

"Hullo madam director, Iella, ma'am!" The boy I'd labeled 'odd' grinned, almost saying the words in a sing-song fashion. Iella smiled at him, biting back obvious laughter. To me the flight officer was just becoming annoying, not something to be laughed at. But still, his face suddenly wasn't the only thing familiar to me. His voice struck a memory too...  Tyria had returned to where I was standing, as I hadn't moved, and she quickly pulled me forward. 

"This is my brother, Kell," she explained, stopping me in front of the blue-eyed one. I was turned were I stood by the older girl once again, and I was now looking at the green-eyed freak again. "And this-"

I interrupted her two words into her introduction, quite content to let myself get in my sarcasm quota for the day. "And this must be some green- eyed freak who thinks that the universe is a playground and has no sense of pride, which is easy enough to see by the fact that you're wearing plasteel medals." This I said straight to him, ignoring Kell and Tyria's sniggers.  The boy's jovial expression turned to a thoughtful one, and then, to my immense disquiet, he bowed extravagantly. 

"With pride." He came up from his bow and his smile was back. "And it's plain as day to see that someone was most definitely raised an Imperial," he continued, beginning in on what sounded like a mocking tone. "Since we've already established you don't like me by the way I dress, Madam Imperial, let me add to your list of dislikes. I'm Garik Loran, pleased to meet you." 

He offered me his hand, though I was too stunned to bother taking it. The Face didn't appear surprised when I didn't shake his hand, though he was probably thinking that I was seething at him inside, rather than me truly being shocked and amazed and cursing myself in seven languages. 

In a haze that was my own stupidity, Tyria nudged me with her elbow and leaned down slightly to fake-whisper in my ear. "This is the part where you're supposed to start talking in a breathless voice and then go 'Garik Loran? The Face? Oh I think I'm going to faint!'"

Her voice was exactly as she'd described to me, slightly higher and a bit breathless. And then the older girl seemed to sway on her feet, then fell backwards, her brother catching her.

I half-ignored this, going back to yelling at myself. How could I have been so stupid, anyway!? Somehow I'd recognized him in spite of the costume, but had refused to believe it was him when Kell and Face had entered. It was beyond stupid on my part, and it still didn't stop me from- very deep down- liking the older boy. 

However, in the course of less than five minutes in talking to him, I'd already decided to myself that it would be more worth getting him back for his little monologue. Yes, 'The Face' Loran and his green flightsuit would very certainly be in for it when I got my hands on him.


End file.
